Coverage adjustment in e-utra networks

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of systems and techniques for coverage adjustment in evolved universal terrain radio access networks (E-UTRANs) are described. In some embodiments, a network management (NM) apparatus may receive data representative of first and second radio link failure (RLF) reports including information related to respective disconnections of first and second user equipment (UEs) from an E-UTRAN. The NM apparatus may identify a hole in a coverage area of the E-UTRAN based at least in part on the first and second RLF reports, and may perform an automated coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) action to reconfigure cell resources of the E-UTRAN based on the identified hole. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/733,110, entitled “Coverage Adjustment in E-UTRA Networks,” filedJan. 2, 2013, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/679,627,entitled “Advanced Wireless Communication Systems and Techniques” andfiled Aug. 3, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entireties herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication, andmore particularly, to systems and techniques for coverage adjustment inevolved universal terrain radio access networks (E-UTRANs).

BACKGROUND

E-UTRANs are typically deployed as a set of coverage cells providingservice to user equipments (UEs) in covered geographic areas. Service inan E-UTRAN may be compromised when a coverage hole arises due to, e.g.,signal propagation attenuation, shadowing effects, signal interference,and object obstructions. For example, a coverage hole (e.g., an area ofweak coverage or an area of no coverage) may arise in a geographiclocation that is bounded by tall buildings and/or located at the edgesof a coverage cell.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitatethis description, like reference numerals designate like structuralelements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates an environment in which radio link failures (RLFs)may be used to identify a hole in a coverage area of an E-UTRAN, inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a service-deficient geographic area and acoverage adjustment that provides additional service to theservice-deficient geographic area, in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example coverage adjustmentsystem, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example coverage adjustment processexecutable by a network management (NM) apparatus, in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example coverage adjustment processexecutable by an evolved nodeB (eNB), in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a second example coverage adjustment processexecutable by an NM apparatus, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a second example coverage adjustment processexecutable by an eNB, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example computing device suitable forpracticing the disclosed embodiments, in accordance with variousembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of systems and techniques for coverage adjustment inE-UTRANs are described. In some embodiments, an NM apparatus may receivedata representative of first and second radio link failure (RLF) reportsincluding information related to respective disconnections of first andsecond UEs from an E-UTRAN. The NM apparatus may identify a hole in acoverage area of the E-UTRAN based at least in part on the first andsecond RLF reports, and may perform an automated coverage adjustmentaction (such as a coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) action) toreconfigure cell resources of the E-UTRAN based on the identified hole.

In some embodiments, an NM apparatus may receive data representative ofperformance of a service provided by an E-UTRAN. In particular, the datamay be representative of service performance at a plurality ofgeographic locations covered by one or more cells of the E-UTRAN. The NMapparatus may correlate the data to identify a service-deficientgeographic area, and may adjust one or more cells of the E-UTRAN toprovide additional service to the service-deficient geographic area.Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Some of the systems and techniques disclosed herein may enable theidentification of coverage holes that may not be otherwise detected. Bycorrelating multiple RLF reports, an NM apparatus or other component mayidentify RLF patterns that would go unnoticed during conventionaloperation. Some of the systems and techniques disclosed herein mayenable service improvements in otherwise service-deficient areas. Forexample, aggregating service performance information to inform theadjustment of cells of an E-UTRAN, as disclosed herein, may enable afaster and more appropriate reconfiguration of network resources intimes and areas of high service demand. The present disclosure may beparticularly advantageous in self-organizing network (SON) applications,including those in which network optimization is centralized in one ormore NM apparatus or other devices.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like numeralsdesignate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by way ofillustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understoodthat other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changesmay be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in alimiting sense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

Various operations may be described as multiple discrete actions oroperations in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understandingthe claimed subject matter. However, the order of description should notbe construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily orderdependent. In particular, these operations may not be performed in theorder of presentation. Operations described may be performed in adifferent order than the described embodiment. Various additionaloperations may be performed and/or described operations may be omittedin additional embodiments.

For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrases “A and/or B” and“A or B” mean (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the presentdisclosure, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B),(A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).

The description may use the phrases “in an embodiment,” or “inembodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same ordifferent embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,”“having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of thepresent disclosure, are synonymous.

As may be used herein, the term “module” or “circuitry” may refer to, bepart of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC),an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and/ormemory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more softwareor firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or othersuitable components that provide the described functionality.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an environment 100 is illustrated in whichthree eNBs 102 a, 102 b and 102 c provide service in respective coveragecells 104 a, 104 b and 104 c. In some embodiments, eNBs 102 a, 102 b and102 c may be part of an E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, eNBs 102 a, 102 band 102 c may be base stations supporting one or more other radio accesstechnologies (RATs) such as a universal mobile telecommunications systemterrestrial radio access (UTRA) technology or a global system for mobilecommunications enhanced data rates for global system for mobilecommunication evolution radio access (GERA) technology. eNBs 102 a, 102b and 102 c may provide service to one or more UEs located in coveragecells 104 a, 104 b and 104 c, respectively.

In some embodiments, UEs served by the various eNBs of FIG. 1 mayperiodically or aperiodically report performance metrics to the servingeNBs or other components of the RAT network. These reports may includelocation information for the UE (e.g., coordinates or other informationthat enables the approximate location of the UE to be determined). Insome embodiments, the performance metrics and the location informationmay be provided to one or more centralized entities, such as an NMapparatus, so that locations with acceptable performance and locationswith unacceptable performance may be identified.

For example, in FIG. 1, UEs reporting acceptable performance metrics maybe indicated by solid dots 106 (for clarity, only a few solid dots arelabeled in the figure). UEs reporting unacceptable performance metricsmay be indicated by “x” marks 108 in FIG. 1 (again, for clarity, only afew “x” marks are labeled in the figure). Unacceptable performance mayinclude, for example, failure to achieve a desired level of signalstrength or the failure to successfully provide service to UE deviceswithin a certain number of access attempts (e.g., radio resource control(RRC) connection attempts and/or random access attempts). In someembodiments, unacceptable performance is signaled by an RLF report froma UE. By analyzing the locations at which unacceptable performanceoccurs, an NM apparatus or other component of the network may identifythe approximate boundaries of coverage hole 110. Additional embodimentsare described herein.

Referring now to FIG. 2A, an environment 200 a is illustrated in whichmultiple eNBs (only a few of which, 204 a-204 g, are labeled) provideservice in respective coverage cells (indicated by the circlessurrounding the eNBs in FIG. 2A). In some embodiments, the eNBs of FIG.2A may be part of an E-UTRAN. As discussed above with reference to FIG.1, the eNBs of FIG. 2A may be base stations supporting one or more otherRATs such as an UTRA technology or a GERA technology. The eNBs of FIG.2A may provide service to one or more UEs located in their associatedcoverage cells.

Also shown in FIG. 2A is a highway 206, which runs through thegeographic area served by one or more of the eNBs. A portion 208 ofhighway 206 is shaded to indicate that this portion exhibits arelatively high wireless traffic demand. The wireless traffic demand ofportion 208 may be due to any number of causes, such as the dynamiccharacteristics of users of UEs and environmental information such asthe infrastructure and use of the built environment. For example,increased demand may be caused by highway traffic rush hours, vehicleaccidents that cause extended back-ups, holiday travel, the beginningand/or end of a sporting event at a sports complex (e.g., a stadium).Any of a number of regular and irregular behaviors or conditions maycause wireless traffic demand to be non-uniform within a cell or acrossadjacent or closely-spaced cells. In situations of increased wirelesstraffic demand, some UEs (in particular, those located near portion 208of highway 206) may be starved of the desired resources and mayexperience service deficiencies.

In some embodiments, data representative of the service performance ofthe E-UTRAN or other network supported by the eNBs of FIG. 2A may beprovided to one or more centralized entities, such as an NM apparatus,so that service-deficient geographic areas (such as portion 208) may beidentified. For example, data representative of the number of active UEsin a given area, the upload or download physical resource block (PRB)usage, the internet protocol (IP) throughout, packet delay, drop rate,loss rate, and/or any of a number of other performance metrics may beused to identify service-deficient areas. Data representingenvironmental information, such as the location of a highway or sportscomplex, may also be used in identifying service-deficient areas.

Once a service-deficient area has been identified, one or more cellssupported by the eNBs may be adjusted to provide additional service tothe service-deficient geographic area. Such an adjustment is shown inenvironment 200 b of FIG. 2B, in which the cells associated with eNBs204 b, 204 c, 204 e and 204 f have been adjusted to provide additionalcoverage to high wireless traffic demand portion 208 of highway 206.Cell adjustment may include reshaping cells by adjusting wirelessantennas, making cells smaller to boost capacity, providing more powerto antennas to increase the size of cells, or any of a number of otheradjustments. Additional embodiments are described herein.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of an example coverageadjustment system 300 is illustrated, in accordance with variousembodiments. In particular, system 300 may be used to implement any ofthe coverage adjustment systems and techniques described above withreference to FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B. System 300 may be configured to supporta RAT, such as E-UTRAN. Examples of components of system 300 may oftenbe discussed with reference to a 3G LTE RAT, but system 300 may be usedto implement other RATs (such as those discussed herein). System 300 maybe configured to deliver any of a number of services, such as multimediadelivery over HTTP, live streaming over RTP, conversational services(e.g., video conferencing), and TV broadcasting, for example. System 300may include other wireless personal area network (WPAN), wireless localarea network (WLAN), wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), and/orwireless wide area network (WWAN) devices such as network interfacedevices and peripherals (e.g., network interface cards (NICs)), accesspoints (APs), redistribution points, end points, gateways, bridges,hubs, etc. to implement a cellular telephone system, a satellite system,a personal communication system (PCS), a two-way radio system, a one-waypager system, a two-way pager system, a personal computer (PC) system, apersonal data assistant (PDA) system, a personal computing accessory(PCA) system, and/or any other suitable communication system. Whileembodiments may described in the context of LTE networks, embodimentsmay also be employed in other networks (e.g., WiMAX networks).

System 300 may include an NM apparatus 302. In some embodiments, NMapparatus 302 may monitor the components of system 300 and collectmeasurements of its performance. Based on the analysis of thesemeasurements, NM apparatus 302 may identify potential problems andimprovements in the configuration and operation of the components ofsystem 300, and may implement changes to system 300. NM apparatus 302may include receiver circuitry 322, coverage analysis circuitry 324 andcorrective action circuitry 326.

Receiver circuitry 322 may be configured for receiving signals fromother devices by wired or wireless connections. For example, receivercircuitry 322 may be configured to receive signals from or transmitsignals to an element manager (EM) component of an eNB (such as any ofeNBs 308-312), a domain management (DM) apparatus 304 (which may providemanagement functions for a domain or other portion of system 300), orany other suitably configured devices. In some embodiments, NM apparatus302 may communicate with an eNB via a wired connection. . In embodimentsin which receiver circuitry 322 is configured for wirelesscommunications, receiver circuitry 322 may include, for example, one ormore directional or omni-directional antennas (not shown) such as dipoleantennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstripantennas, and/or other types of antennas suitable for reception of radiofrequency (RF) or other wireless communication signals.

In some embodiments, receiver circuitry 322 may be configured to receivedata representative of performance of a service provided by an E-UTRAN(or other RAT network) supported by system 300. The data may berepresentative of service performance at a plurality of geographiclocations covered by one or more cells of the E-UTRAN or other RATnetwork. For example, the data may include, for one or more of theplurality of geographic locations, information such as a number ofactive UEs, upload or download physical resource block usage, internetprotocol (IP) throughput, packet delay, drop rate, and/or loss rate. Insome embodiments, receiver circuitry 322 may be configured to receivethe data from one or more eNBs serving the one or more cells. In someembodiments, receiver circuitry 322 may be configured to receive thedata via an interface-N (Itf-N).

In some embodiments, receiver circuitry 322 may be configured to receivedata representative of a first RLF report. The first RLF report mayinclude information related to a disconnection of a first user UE (suchas UE 314) from an E-UTRAN or other RAT supported by system 300. Forexample, the first RLF report may include any of a number ofmeasurements taken by the first UE or the first eNB or other device thatprovides the first RLF report, such as one or more of a reference signalreceived power (RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), anidentifier of a cell from which the first UE was connected prior to thedisconnection of the first UE from the RAT, location information (e.g.,information about the location of the first UE when the disconnectionoccurred), and a time stamp representative of a time of disconnection.Receiver circuitry 322 may be configured to receive the datarepresentative of the first RLF report from a first eNB serving thefirst UE (such as eNB 308 when it serves UE 314). In some embodiments,receiver circuitry 322 may be configured to receive the data from theeNB upon reconnection of the first UE to the E-UTRAN or other RATsupported by system 300.

In some embodiments, receiver circuitry 322 may be configured to receivea second RLF report. The second RLF report may include informationrelated to a disconnection of a second UE from the E-UTRAN or other RATsupported by system 300. The information included in the second RLFreport may include any of the types of information described above withreference to the first RLF report. In some embodiments, receivercircuitry 322 may be configured to receive the data representative ofthe second RLF report from a second eNB serving the second UE. Receivercircuitry 322 may be configured to receive the data representative ofthe second RLF report upon reconnection of the second UE to the E-UTRANor other RAT supported by system 300. In some embodiments, the first andsecond eNBs may be a common eNB (e.g., eNB 308). In some embodiments,the first and second eNBs may be different eNBs (e.g., eNBs 310 and308).

In some embodiments, data representative of service performance (such asRLF reports and other data) may be transmitted to NM apparatus 302 by DMapparatus 304 in communication with one or more eNBs (such as eNBs 308and 310, as shown). In some embodiments, RLF reports and other serviceperformance data may be transmitted to NM apparatus 302 by TCE 306 incommunication with a DM apparatus (such as DM apparatus 304) and/or oneor more eNBs (such as eNB 308, as shown).

NM apparatus 302 may include coverage analysis circuitry 324. In someembodiments, coverage analysis circuitry 324 and corrective actioncircuitry 326 may be included in a centralized coverage and capacityoptimization (CCO) component 342 of NM apparatus 302. In someembodiments, coverage analysis circuitry 326 may be configured tocorrelate data received by receiver circuitry 322 to identify aservice-deficient geographic area (such as portion 208 of highway 206 ofFIG. 2A). Correlating data may include, among other things, associatingmultiple reports or measurements with a same user session occurrence ora same geographic area.

In some embodiments, coverage analysis circuitry 324 may be configuredto identify a hole in a coverage area of the RAT supported by system 300(such as an E-UTRA technology) based at least in part on multiple RLFreports, such as the first and second RLF reports discussed above. Forexample, in some embodiments, coverage analysis circuitry 324 mayidentify a hole in a coverage area of an E-UTRAN by correlating multipleRLF reports (e.g., the first and second RLF reports).

In some embodiments, coverage analysis circuitry 324 may be configuredto access data representative of environmental information (e.g., theinfrastructure and use of a built environment). Examples of such datamay include the location of a road, a sports complex, a tall building,or any other information about the environment within a cell that mayimpact the delivery of wireless service. Such data may also includetemporal information about use of the infrastructure of a builtenvironment, such as a sporting event schedule or rush hour schedule. Insome embodiments, coverage analysis circuitry 324 may correlate datarepresentative of service performance (e.g., as discussed above) withdata representative of a built environment to identify aservice-deficient geographic area. For example, if poor performance isreported at several geographic locations known to be located along aparticular portion of a highway, coverage analysis circuitry 324 mayidentify a service-deficient area spanning that portion of the highway.

In some embodiments, coverage analysis circuitry 324 may be configuredto initiate area-based minimization of drive test (MDT) protocols on oneor more eNBs associated with cells that nominally cover the identifiedhole or service-deficient area (e.g., those cells that would providecoverage to the hole were it not for the presence of obstructions orabnormal traffic demands). Such MDT protocols may include a number ofautomated measurement collection and data logging processes at UEs, eNBsand other components in a wireless network, which may generate datauseful for diagnostic and coverage analysis purposes. For example, MDTprotocols may be executed for each of multiple cells that nominallycover an identified hole to diagnose the location and size of the hole.

NM apparatus may include corrective action circuitry 326. Correctiveaction circuitry 326 may be configured to recommend and/or perform acorrective action based on the service-deficient geographic area (e.g.,a coverage hole) identified by coverage analysis circuitry 324. Forexample, in some embodiments, corrective action circuitry 326 may beconfigured to perform an automated CCO action to reconfigure cellresources of the E-UTRAN or other network supported by system 300 basedon an identified hole. Reconfiguring cell resources may include, forexample, changing the power associated with a cell's antenna(s) orchanging the shape of the cell, among other things.

In some embodiments, corrective action circuitry 326 may be configuredto adjust one or more cells of an E-UTRAN or other network to provideadditional service to an identified service-deficient geographic area.In some embodiments, such an adjustment may include making one or morecells smaller to boost capacity in the service-deficient geographicarea, reshaping one or more cells by adjusting one or more correspondingantennas (e.g., by aligning a longitudinal axis of one or more cellswith a longitudinal axis of one or more roads, as shown by the cellsassociated with eNBs 204 b and 204 c of FIG. 2B), making one or morecells larger to cover at least a portion of the service-deficientgeographic area, any combination of these adjustments, or any otherappropriate adjustment. In some embodiments, a command to implement thecorrective action may be transmitted to one or more components of system300, such as one or more of eNBs 308-312 or UEs 314-320. In someembodiments, coverage analysis circuitry 324 and/or corrective actioncircuitry 326 may include a display or other output configured toprovide coverage information or corrective action recommendations to ahuman operator, who can then intervene appropriately.

System 300 may include one or more eNBs, such as eNBs 308-312. Each ofeNBs 308-312 may include a number of components; for ease ofillustration, only the components of eNB 308 are shown in FIG. 3. eNBsother than eNB 308 may have similar components. The components of eNB308, discussed in detail below, may be included in one or more of theeNBs shown in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B.

As shown, eNB 308 may include transmitter circuitry 328. Transmittercircuitry 328 may be configured for transmitting wireless signals toother devices. For example, transmitter circuitry 328 may be configuredto transmit wireless signals to NM apparatus 302, DM apparatus 304, TCE206, UE 314, or other devices suitably configured for wirelesscommunications. Transmitter circuitry 328 may include, for example, oneor more directional or omni-directional antennas (not shown), asdiscussed above. In some embodiments, transmitter circuitry 328 may beconfigured to transmit, to NM apparatus 302, data representative ofperformance of a service provided by an E-UTRAN or other networksupported by eNB 308 within a coverage cell served by eNB 308. Forexample, as discussed above, the data may include one or more of numberof active UEs, upload or download PRB usage, IP throughput, packetdelay, drop rate, and/or loss rate. In some embodiments, transmittercircuitry 328 may be configured to transmit data representative of anRLF report to CCO component 342 of NM apparatus 302. As discussed above,NM apparatus 302 may use the data representative of an RLF report inidentifying a hole in a coverage area of an E-UTRAN or other networksupported by system 300. In some embodiments, transmitter circuitry 328may be configured to transmit data over an Itf-N.

eNB 308 may include first receiver circuitry 330. First receivercircuitry 330 may be configured for receiving signals from other devicesvia wired or wireless connections. First receiver circuitry 330 may beconfigured to receive signals from NM apparatus 302, DM apparatus 304,TCE 306 or other devices suitably configured for communications. Forexample, a connection between first receiver circuitry 330 and TCE 306may be a wired connection. In embodiments in which first receivercircuitry 330 is configured for wireless communications, first receivercircuitry 330 may include, for example, one or more directional oromni-directional antennas (not shown), as discussed above.

In some embodiments, first receiver circuitry 330 may be configured toreceive an instruction to adjust a service parameter of the coveragecell served by eNB 308 to provide additional service to aservice-deficient geographic area. In some embodiments, the instructionmay come from corrective action circuitry 326 of NM apparatus 302. Theservice-deficient geographic area may be identified by coverage analysiscircuitry 324 of NM apparatus 302 based at least in part on, forexample, data transmitted to NM apparatus 302 by transmitter circuitry328 of eNB 308. In some embodiments, as discussed above, NM apparatus302 may be configured to identify a service-deficient geographic areabased at least in part on data representative of performance of aservice provided by an E-UTRAN within one or more coverage cells servedby one or more eNBs other than eNB 308 (e.g., eNBs 310 and 312). In someembodiments, the instruction received at first receiver circuitry 330may be based at least in part on data representative of informationabout the environment proximate to the coverage cell served by eNB 308(e.g., a location of a road and/or a location of a sporting event). Insome embodiments, first receiver circuitry 330 may be configured to,after transmitter circuitry 328 transmits data representative of an RLFreport to CCO component 342 of NM apparatus 302 in some embodiments,receive an area-based MDT query (as discussed above) from CCO component342.

eNB 308 may include second receiver circuitry 332. Second receivercircuitry 332, like first receiver circuitry 330, may be configured forreceiving wireless signals from other devices. For example, secondreceiver circuitry 330 may be configured to receive wireless signals UE214 or other devices suitably configured for wireless communications.Second receiver circuitry 332 may include, for example, one or moredirectional or omni-directional antennas (not shown), as discussedabove. In some embodiments, first receiver circuitry 330 and secondreceiver circuitry 332 may be the same circuitry, or may share commoncircuitry. In some embodiments, second receiver circuitry 332 may beconfigured to receive, from a UE (such as UE 314), an RLF report. TheRLF report, as discussed above, may include information related to aprevious disconnection of the UE (e.g., UE 314) from the E-UTRAN orother network supported by system 300. In some embodiments, the UE maygenerate the RLF report upon the previous disconnection of the UE fromthe E-UTRAN or other network. In some embodiments, the informationrelated to the previous disconnection of the UE from the E-UTRAN orother network may include an RSRP, an RSRQ, an identifier of thecoverage cell within which the UE is located, location information, anda time stamp representative of a time of disconnection.

.eNB 308 may include service provision circuitry 344. Service provisioncircuitry 344 may provide an E-UTRAN or other service to a UE (such asUE 314) located within a coverage cell of eNB 308. In some embodiments,service provision circuitry 344 may be configured to adjust one or moreservice parameters of a coverage cell served by eNB 308 to adjust thecoverage of the cell. In some embodiments, service provision circuitry344 may adjust one or more service parameters in accordance with aninstruction provided by NM apparatus 302 (e.g., by corrective actioncircuitry 326). Adjusting a service parameter of a coverage cell servedby the eNB may include reshaping the coverage cell or making any of anumber of other adjustments (e.g., as described above). In someembodiments, service provision circuitry 344 may be integrated with oroperatively connected to transmitter circuitry 328, among othercomponents.

In some embodiments, service provision circuitry 344 or transmittercircuitry 328 may be configured to transmit, to a UE (such as UE 314),parameters representative of measurements that should be taken by the UEas service performance data and/or in conjunction with an RLF report.For example, the parameters may be representative of one or more ofRSRP, RSRQ, an identifier of the cell, location information, and a timestamp representative of a time of an event related to an RLF or otherdisconnection or service deficiency. In some embodiments, the parametersmay be selected by an eNB (such as eNB 308), by a DM apparatus (such asDM apparatus 304), by an NM apparatus (such as NM apparatus 302), byanother component of system 300, or by a combination of components.

System 300 may include one or more UEs, such as UEs 314-220. One or moreof UEs 314-220 may include any of a number of wireless electronicdevices such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a handheldcomputer, a tablet computer, a cellular telephone, a pager, an audioand/or video player (e.g., an MP3 player or a DVD player), a gamingdevice, a video camera, a digital camera, a navigation device (e.g., aGPS device), a wireless peripheral (e.g., a printer, a scanner, aheadset, a keyboard, a mouse, etc.), a medical device (e.g., a heartrate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), and/or other suitablefixed, portable, or mobile electronic devices. In some embodiments, oneor more of UEs 314-220 may be a mobile wireless device, such as a PDA,cellular telephone, tablet computer or laptop computer. Each of UEs314-220 may include a number of components; for ease of illustration,only the components of UE 314 are shown in FIG. 3. UEs other than UE 314may have similar components.

As shown, UE 314 may include receiver circuitry 334. Receiver circuitry334 may be configured for receiving wireless signals from other devices.For example, receiver circuitry 334 may be configured to receivewireless signals from eNB 308 or other devices suitably configured forwireless communications. Receiver circuitry 334 may include, forexample, one or more directional or omni-directional antennas (notshown), as discussed above. In some embodiments, receiver circuitry 334may be configured to receive a command, from an eNB serving UE 314 (suchas eNB 308) to handover UE 314 to a different eNB or to adjust anotherparameter of the operation of UE 314. Receiver circuitry 334 may beconfigured to receive instructions from eNB 308 regarding measurementsthat UE 314 should take for service performing monitoring purposes.Receiver circuitry 334 may also be configured to receive data related toone or more services provided to UE 314 by eNB 308 or other devices(e.g., wireless multimedia services).

UE 314 may include transmitter circuitry 336. Transmitter circuitry 336may be configured for transmitting wireless signals to other devices.For example, transmitter circuitry 336 may be configured to transmitwireless signals to eNB 308 or other devices suitably configured forwireless communications. Transmitter circuitry 336 may include, forexample, one or more directional or omni-directional antennas (notshown), as discussed above. In some embodiments, transmitter circuitry336 may be configured to transmit one or more measurements related toservice performance (such as RLF-related measurements) taken by UE 314to eNB 308 or another component of system 300.

UE 314 may include measurement circuitry 340. Measurement circuitry 340may be configured to take the one or more measurements discussed abovewith reference to receiver circuitry 334 and transmitter circuitry 336.In particular, in some embodiments, the one or more measurements mayinclude an RSRP, an RSRQ, an identifier of a cell to which the UE wasconnected before a disconnection, location information, and a time stamprepresentative of a time of an event related to an RLF or otherdisconnection or service deficiency.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow diagram of example coverage adjustmentprocess 400 executable by an NM apparatus (such as NM apparatus 302 ofFIG. 3) is illustrated, in accordance with various embodiments. It maybe recognized that, while the operations of process 400 (and the otherprocesses described herein) are arranged in a particular order andillustrated once each, in various embodiments, one or more of theoperations may be repeated, omitted or performed out of order. Forillustrative purposes, operations of process 400 may be described asperformed by NM apparatus 302 (FIG. 3), but process 400 may be performedby any suitably configured device.

Process 400 may begin at operation 402, in which NM apparatus 302 mayreceive data representative of a first RLF report, the first RLF reportincluding information related to a disconnection of a first UE from anevolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN. In someembodiments, operation 402 may be executed by receiver circuitry 322(FIG. 3). In some embodiments, operation 302 may include receiving datarepresentative of a first RLF report from a first eNB serving the firstUE upon reconnection of the first UE to the E-UTRAN. In someembodiments, the information related to the disconnection of the firstUE from the E-UTRAN includes one or more of RSRP, RSRQ, an identifier ofa cell from which the first UE was connected prior to the disconnectionof the first UE from the E-UTRAN, location information, and a time stamprepresentative of a time of disconnection.

At operation 404, NM apparatus 302 may receive data representative of asecond RLF report, the second RLF report including information relatedto a disconnection of a second UE from the E-UTRAN. In some embodiments,operation 404 may be executed by receiver circuitry 322 (FIG. 3). Insome embodiments, operation 404 may include receiving datarepresentative of a second RLF report from a second eNB serving thesecond UE upon reconnection of the second UE to the E-UTRAN. The firstand second eNBs may be a common eNB, or may be different eNBs.

At operation 406, NM apparatus 302 may identify a hole in a coveragearea of the E-UTRAN based at least in part on the first and second RLFreports (received at operations 402 and 404). In some embodiments,operation 406 may be executed by coverage analysis circuitry 324 (FIG.3). At operation 408, NM apparatus 302 may initiate area-based MDTprotocols on one or more eNBs associated with cells that nominally coverthe hole identified at operation 406. In some embodiments, operation 408may be executed by coverage analysis circuitry 324 (FIG. 3). Atoperation 410, NM apparatus may perform an automated CCO action toreconfigure cell resources of the E-UTRAN based on the hole identifiedat operation 406. In some embodiments, operation 410 may be executed bycorrective action circuitry 326 (FIG. 3). Process 400 may then end.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a flow diagram of example coverage adjustmentprocess 500 executable by an eNB (such as eNB 308 of FIG. 3) isillustrated, in accordance with various embodiments. For illustrativepurposes, operations of process 500 may be described as performed by eNB308 (FIG. 3), but process 500 may be performed by any suitablyconfigured device.

Process 500 may begin at operation 502, in which eNB 308 may provide aservice of an E-UTRAN to a UE located within a coverage cell of eNB 308.In some embodiments, operation 502 may be executed by service provisioncircuitry 344 (FIG. 3). At operation 504, eNB 308 may receive, from theUE, an RLF report including information related to a previousdisconnection of the UE from the E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, operation504 may be executed by second receiver circuitry 332 (FIG. 3). In someembodiments, the UE may generate the RLF report upon the previousdisconnection of the UE from the E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, theinformation related to the previous disconnection of the UE from theE-UTRAN includes one or more of RSRP, RSRQ, an identifier of thecoverage cell, location information, and a time stamp representative ofa time of disconnection.

At operation 506, eNB 308 may transmit data representative of the RLFreport to a CCO component (such as CCO component 342) of an NM apparatus(such as NM apparatus 302) of the E-UTRAN for use in identifying a holein a coverage area of the E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, operation 506may be executed by transmitter circuitry 328 (FIG. 3). In someembodiments, operation 308 may include transmitting the data over anItf-N.

At operation 508, eNB 308 may, after the transmitting datarepresentative of the RLF report to the CCO component of the NMapparatus of the E-UTRAN per operation 506, receive an area-based MDTquery from a CCO component (e.g., CCO component 342). In someembodiments, operation 508 may be executed by first receiver circuitry330 (FIG. 3). Process 500 may then end.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a flow diagram of second example coverageadjustment process 600 executable by an NM apparatus (such as NMapparatus 302 of FIG. 3) is illustrated, in accordance with variousembodiments. For illustrative purposes, operations of process 600 may bedescribed as performed by NM apparatus 302 (FIG. 3), but process 600 maybe performed by any suitably configured device.

Process 600 may begin at operation 602, in which NM apparatus 302 mayreceive data representative of performance of a service provided by anE-UTRAN. The data may be representative of service performance at aplurality of geographic locations covered by one or more cells of theE-UTRAN. In some embodiments, operation 602 may be executed by receivercircuitry 322 (FIG. 3). In some embodiments, operation 602 may includereceiving data from one or more eNBs serving the one or more cells ofthe E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, operation 602 may include receivingdata via an Itf-N. In some embodiments, the data may include one or moreof a number of active UEs, upload or download PRB usage, IP throughput,packet delay, drop rate, and loss rate.

At operation 604, NM apparatus 302 may access data representative ofenvironmental information. In some embodiments, operation 604 may beexecuted by coverage analysis circuitry 324 (FIG. 3). In someembodiments, the data representative of environmental informationincludes at least one of a location of a road and a location of a sportscomplex. In some embodiments, operation 604 may be optional.

At operation 606, NM apparatus 302 may correlate the data received atoperation 602 (and optionally at operation 604) to identify aservice-deficient geographic area. In some embodiments, operation 606may be executed by coverage analysis circuitry 324 (FIG. 3). In someembodiments, operation 606 may include correlating the datarepresentative of service performance (received at operation 602) andthe data representative of environmental information (received atoperation 604).

At operation 608, NM apparatus 302 may perform an automated CCO actionto adjust one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional serviceto the service-deficient geographic area. In some embodiments, operation606 may be executed by corrective action circuitry 326 (FIG. 3). In someembodiments, operation 608 may include making one or more cells smallerto boost capacity in the service-deficient geographic area. In someembodiments, operation 608 may include reshaping one or more cells byadjusting one or more corresponding antennas. In some embodiments,operation 608 may include approximately aligning a longitudinal axis ofone or more cells with a longitudinal axis of one or more roads. In someembodiments, operation 608 may include making one or more cells largerto cover at least a portion of the service-deficient geographic area.Process 600 may then end.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow diagram of example coverage adjustmentprocess 700 executable by an eNB (such as eNB 308 of FIG. 3) isillustrated, in accordance with various embodiments. For illustrativepurposes, operations of process 700 may be described as performed by eNB308 (FIG. 3), but process 700 may be performed by any suitablyconfigured device.

Process 700 may begin at operation 702, in which eNB 308 transmits datato a CCO component of an NM apparatus (such as CCO component 342 of NMapparatus 302). The data may be representative of performance of aservice provided by an E-UTRAN associated with eNB 308 within a coveragecell served by eNB 308. In some embodiments, operation 702 may beexecuted by transmitter circuitry 328 (FIG. 3). In some embodiments, thedata may include one or more of number of active UEs, upload or downloadPRB usage, IP throughput, packet delay, drop rate, and loss rate.

At operation 704, eNB 308 may receive, from the NM apparatus (e.g., NMapparatus 302), an instruction to adjust a service parameter of thecoverage cell served by eNB 308 to provide additional service to aservice-deficient geographic area. In some embodiments, theservice-deficient geographic area may be identified by the NM apparatusbased at least in part on the data transmitted to the NM apparatus byeNB 308 at operation 702. In some embodiments, operation 704 may beexecuted by first receiver circuitry 330 (FIG. 3). In some embodiments,the service-deficient geographic area may be identified by the NMapparatus based at least in part on data representative of performanceof a service provided by the E-UTRAN within one or more coverage cellsserved by one or more eNBs other than eNB 308. In some embodiments, theinstruction may be based at least in part on data representative ofinformation about the environment proximate to the coverage cell (e.g.,a location of a road and/or a location of a sporting event).

At operation 706, eNB 308 may adjust the service parameter of thecoverage cell in accordance with the instruction received at operation704. In some embodiments, operation 706 may be executed by serviceprovision circuitry 344 (FIG. 3). In some embodiments, operation 706 mayinclude reshaping the coverage cell. Operation 700 may then end.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of example computing device 800, which may besuitable for practicing various disclosed embodiments. For example, someor all of the components of computing device 800 may be used in any ofthe NM apparatus (such as NM apparatus 302 of FIG. 3), DM apparatus(such as DM apparatus 304 of FIG. 3, TCEs (such as TCE 306 of FIG. 3),eNBs (such as eNBs 102 a-102 c of FIG. 1, eNBs 504 a-504 g of FIG. 2,and eNBs 308-312 of FIG. 3), or UEs (such as UEs 314-220 of FIG. 3).Computing device 800 may include a number of components, including oneor more processor(s) 804 and at least one communication chip 806. Invarious embodiments, processor 804 may include a processor core. Invarious embodiments, at least one communication chip 806 may also bephysically and electrically coupled to processor 804. In furtherimplementations, communication chips 806 may be part of processor 804.In various embodiments, computing device 800 may include PCB 802. Forthese embodiments, processor 804 and communication chip 806 may bedisposed thereon. In alternate embodiments, the various components maybe coupled without the employment of PCB 802. Communication chip 806 maybe included in any of the receiver and/or transmitter circuitrydescribed herein.

Depending on its applications, computing device 800 may include othercomponents that may or may not be physically and electrically coupled toPCB 802. These other components include, but are not limited to,volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory 808, also referredto as DRAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory 810, alsoreferred to as “ROM,” one or more hard disk drives, one or moresolid-state drives, one or more compact disc drives, and/or one or moredigital versatile disc drives), flash memory 812, input/outputcontroller 814, a digital signal processor (not shown), a cryptoprocessor (not shown), graphics processor 816, one or more antenna 818,touch screen display 820, touch screen controller 822, other displays(such as liquid-crystal displays, cathode-ray tube displays and e-inkdisplays, not shown), battery 824, an audio codec (not shown), a videocodec (not shown), global positioning system (GPS) device 828, compass830, an accelerometer (not shown), a gyroscope (not shown), speaker 832,camera 834, and a mass storage device (such as hard disk drive, a solidstate drive, compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD)) (notshown), and so forth. In various embodiments, processor 804 may beintegrated on the same die with other components to form a System onChip (SoC).

In various embodiments, volatile memory (e.g., DRAM 808), non-volatilememory (e.g., ROM 810), flash memory 812, and the mass storage devicemay include programming instructions configured to enable computingdevice 800, in response to execution by processor(s) 804, to practiceall or selected aspects of the processes described herein. For example,one or more of the memory components such as volatile memory (e.g., DRAM808), non-volatile memory (e.g., ROM 810), flash memory 812, and themass storage device may include temporal and/or persistent copies ofinstructions that, when executed, enable computing device 800 to operatecontrol module 836 configured to practice all or selected aspects of theprocesses described herein. Memory accessible to computing device 800may include one or more storage resources that are physically part of adevice on which computing device 800 is installed and/or one or morestorage resources that is accessible by, but not necessarily a part of,computing device 800. For example, a storage resource may be accessed bycomputing device 800 over a network via communications chips 806.

Communication chips 806 may enable wired and/or wireless communicationsfor the transfer of data to and from computing device 800. The term“wireless” and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits,devices, systems, methods, techniques, communication channels, etc.,that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagneticradiation through a non-solid medium. The term does not imply that theassociated devices do not contain any wires, although in someembodiments they might not. Many of the embodiments described herein maybe used with WiFi and 3GPP/LTE communication systems. However,communication chips 806 may implement any of a number of wirelessstandards or protocols, including but not limited to IEEE 702.20,General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Evolution Data Optimized (Ev-DO),Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Evolved High Speed DownlinkPacket Access (HSDPA+), Evolved High Speed Uplink Packet Access(HSUPA+), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Datarates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA),Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Digital Enhanced CordlessTelecommunications (DECT), Bluetooth, derivatives thereof, as well asany other wireless protocols that are designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, andbeyond. Computing device 800 may include a plurality of communicationchips 806. For instance, a first communication chip 806 may be dedicatedto shorter range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth anda second communication chip 806 may be dedicated to longer rangewireless communications such as GPS, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE,Ev-DO, and others.

In various implementations, computing device 800 may be a laptop, anetbook, a notebook, an ultrabook, a smart phone, a computing tablet, apersonal digital assistant, an ultra mobile PC, a mobile phone, adesktop computer, a server, a printer, a scanner, a monitor, a set-topbox, an entertainment control unit (e.g., a gaming console), a digitalcamera, a portable music player, or a digital video recorder. In furtherimplementations, computing device 800 may be any other electronic devicethat processes data.

The following paragraphs describe examples of various embodiments. Invarious embodiments, an NM apparatus includes receiver circuitry toreceive data representative of a first RLF report, the first RLF reportincluding information related to a disconnection of a first UE from anE-UTRAN, and receive data representative of a second RLF report, thesecond RLF report including information related to a disconnection of asecond UE from the E-UTRAN. The NM apparatus also includes coverageanalysis circuitry to identify a hole in a coverage area of the E-UTRANbased at least in part on the first and second RLF reports, andcorrective action circuitry to perform an automated CCO action toreconfigure cell resources of the E-UTRAN based on the identified hole.In some embodiments, the information related to the disconnection of thefirst UE from the E-UTRAN includes an RSRP, RSRQ, an identifier of acell to which the first UE was connected prior to the disconnection ofthe first UE from the E-UTRAN, location information, or a time stamprepresentative of a time of disconnection. In some embodiments, receivedata representative of a first RLF report includes receive datarepresentative of a first RLF report from a first eNB serving the firstUE upon reconnection of the first UE to the E-UTRAN. In someembodiments, receive data representative of a second RLF report includesreceive data representative of a second RLF report from a second eNBserving the second UE upon reconnection of the second UE to the E-UTRAN,and the first and second eNBs are a common eNB. In some embodiments,receive data representative of a second RLF report includes receive datarepresentative of a second RLF report from a second eNB serving thesecond UE upon reconnection of the second UE to the E-UTRAN, and thefirst and second eNBs are different eNBs. In some embodiments, whereinthe coverage analysis circuitry is further to initiate area-basedminimization of drive test (MDT) protocols on an evolved nodeBassociated with a cell that nominally covers the identified hole. Someembodiments of an NM apparatus include combinations of the foregoing,and/or means for performing operations performed by the foregoing.

In various embodiments, an eNB includes service provision circuitry toprovide a service of an E-UTRAN to a UE located within a coverage cellof the eNB; receiver circuitry to receive, from the UE, an RLF reportincluding information related to a previous disconnection of the UE fromthe E-UTRAN; and transmitter circuitry to transmit data representativeof the RLF report to a CCO component of an NM apparatus of the E-UTRANfor use in identifying a hole in a coverage area of the E-UTRAN. In someembodiments, the transmitter circuitry is further to transmit the dataover an Itf-N. In some embodiments, the UE generates the RLF report uponthe previous disconnection of the UE from the E-UTRAN. In someembodiments, the information related to the previous disconnection ofthe UE from the E-UTRAN includes one or more of RSRP, RSRQ, anidentifier of the coverage cell, location information, and a time stamprepresentative of a time of disconnection. In some embodiments, the eNBfurther includes second receiver circuitry to, after the transmittercircuitry transmits data representative of the RLF report to the CCOcomponent of the NM apparatus of the E-UTRAN, receive an area-based MDTquery from the CCO component. Some embodiments of an eNB includecombinations of the foregoing, and/or means for performing operationsperformed by the foregoing.

In various embodiments, an NM apparatus includes: receiver circuitry toreceive data representative of performance of a service provided by anE-UTRAN, the data representative of service performance at a pluralityof geographic locations covered by one or more cells of the E-UTRAN;coverage analysis circuitry to correlate the data to identify aservice-deficient geographic area; and corrective action circuitry toadjust one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional service tothe service-deficient geographic area. In some embodiments, the dataincludes one or more of number of active UEs, upload or downloadphysical resource block usage, IP throughput, packet delay, drop rate,and loss rate. In some embodiments, the coverage analysis circuitry isfurther to access data representative of environmental information, andcorrelate the data to identify a service-deficient geographic areaincludes correlate the data representative of service performance andthe data representative of environmental information. In someembodiments, the data representative of environmental informationincludes a location of a road or a sports complex. In some embodiments,adjust one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional service tothe service-deficient geographic area includes make one or more cellssmaller to boost capacity in the service-deficient geographic area. Insome embodiments, adjust one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provideadditional service to the service-deficient geographic area includesreshape one or more cells by adjusting one or more correspondingantennas. In some embodiments, reshape one or more cells by adjustingone or more corresponding antennas includes approximately align alongitudinal axis of one or more cells with a longitudinal axis of oneor more roads. In some embodiments, adjust one or more cells of theE-UTRAN to provide additional service to the service-deficientgeographic area comprises make one or more cells larger to cover atleast a portion of the service-deficient geographic area. In someembodiments, receive data representative of service performance at aplurality of geographic locations covered by one or more cells of theE-UTRAN includes receive data from one or more eNBs serving the one ormore cells of the E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, receive datarepresentative of service performance at a plurality of geographiclocations covered by one or more cells of the E-UTRAN includes receivedata via an Itf-N. Some embodiments of an NM apparatus includecombinations of the foregoing, and/or means for performing operationsperformed by the foregoing.

In various embodiments, an eNB associated with an E-UTRAN includes:transmitter circuitry to transmit data to an NM apparatus, the datarepresentative of performance of a service provided by the E-UTRANwithin a coverage cell served by the eNB; receiver circuitry to receive,from the NM apparatus, an instruction to adjust a service parameter ofthe coverage cell served by the eNB to provide additional service to aservice-deficient geographic area, the service-deficient geographic areaidentified by the NM apparatus based at least in part on the datatransmitted to the NM apparatus by the eNB; and service provisioncircuitry to adjust the service parameter of the coverage cell inaccordance with the instruction. In some embodiments, theservice-deficient geographic area is identified by the NM apparatusbased at least in part on data representative of performance of aservice provided by the E-UTRAN within one or more coverage cells servedby one or more other eNBs. In some embodiments, the data includes one ormore of number of active UEs, upload or download physical resource blockusage, IP throughput, packet delay, drop rate, and loss rate. In someembodiments, the instruction is based at least in part on datarepresentative of information about the environment proximate to thecoverage cell. In some embodiments, the data representative ofinformation about the environment proximate to the coverage cellincludes at least one of a location of a road and a location of asporting event. In some embodiments, adjust the service parameter of thecoverage cell served by the eNB in accordance with the instructionincludes reshape the coverage cell. Some embodiments of an eNB includecombinations of the foregoing, and/or means for performing operationsperformed by the foregoing.

Computer-readable media (including non-transitory computer-readablemedia), methods, systems and devices for performing the above-describedtechniques are illustrative examples of embodiments disclosed herein.Additionally, other devices may be configured to perform variousdisclosed techniques.

Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described hereinfor purposes of description, a wide variety of alternate and/orequivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the samepurposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and describedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thisapplication is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of theembodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended thatembodiments described herein be limited only by the claims.

Where the disclosure recites “a” or “a first” element or the equivalentthereof, such disclosure includes one or more such elements, neitherrequiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Further, ordinalindicators (e.g., first, second or third) for identified elements areused to distinguish between the elements, and do not indicate or imply arequired or limited number of such elements, nor do they indicate aparticular position or order of such elements unless otherwisespecifically stated.

1. (canceled)
 2. A network management (NM) apparatus comprising:receiver circuitry to: receive data representative of a first radio linkfailure (RLF) report, the first RLF report including information relatedto a disconnection of a first user equipment (UE) from an evolveduniversal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), and receive datarepresentative of a second RLF report, the second RLF report includinginformation related to a disconnection of a second UE from the E-UTRAN;coverage analysis circuitry to identify a hole in a coverage area of theE-UTRAN based at least in part on the first and second RLF reports; andin response to identification of the hole, initiate area-basedminimization of drive test (MDT) protocols on two or more evolved nodeBs(eNBs) each associated with a cell whose coverage area overlaps with theidentified hole.
 3. The NM apparatus of claim 2, wherein the informationrelated to the disconnection of the first UE from the E-UTRAN includes areference signal received power (RSRP) value, a reference signalreceived quality (RSRQ) value, an identifier of a cell to which thefirst UE was connected prior to the disconnection of the first UE fromthe E-UTRAN, location information, or a time stamp representative of atime of disconnection.
 4. The NM apparatus of claim 2, wherein receivedata representative of a first RLF report includes receive datarepresentative of a first RLF report from a first eNB serving the firstUE upon reconnection of the first UE to the E-UTRAN.
 5. The NM apparatusof claim 4, wherein receive data representative of a second RLF reportincludes receive data representative of a second RLF report from asecond eNB serving the second UE upon reconnection of the second UE tothe E-UTRAN, and wherein the first and second eNBs are a common eNB. 6.The NM apparatus of claim 4, wherein receive data representative of asecond RLF report includes receive data representative of a second RLFreport from a second eNB serving the second UE upon reconnection of thesecond UE to the E-UTRAN, and wherein the first and second eNBs aredifferent eNBs.
 7. The NM apparatus of claim 2, wherein the coverageanalysis circuitry is further to: identify a size or a location of thehole based at least in part on data generated by the MDT protocols. 8.An evolved nodeB (eNB) comprising: service provision circuitry toprovide a service of an evolved universal terrestrial radio accessnetwork (E-UTRAN) to a user equipment (UE) located within a coveragecell of the eNB; receiver circuitry to receive, from the UE, a radiolink failure (RLF) report including information related to a previousdisconnection of the UE from the E-UTRAN; transmitter circuitry totransmit data representative of the RLF report to a coverage andcapacity optimization (CCO) component of a network management (NM)apparatus of the E-UTRAN for use in identifying a hole in a coveragearea of the E-UTRAN; and second receiver circuitry to, after thetransmitter circuitry transmits data representative of the RLF report tothe CCO component of the NM apparatus of the E-UTRAN, receive anarea-based minimization of drive test (MDT) query from the NM apparatus,wherein the NM apparatus issues the query in response to the datarepresentative of the RLF report.
 9. The eNB of claim 8, wherein thetransmitter circuitry is further to transmit the data over aninterface-N (Itf-N).
 10. The eNB of claim 8, wherein the UE generatesthe RLF report upon the previous disconnection of the UE from theE-UTRAN.
 11. The eNB of claim 8, wherein the information related to theprevious disconnection of the UE from the E-UTRAN includes one or moreof a reference signal received power (RSRP) value, a reference signalreceived quality (RSRQ) value, an identifier of the coverage cell,location information, and a time stamp representative of a time ofdisconnection.
 12. The eNB of claim 8, wherein the NM apparatus is toreceive data generated by MDT protocols from one or more eNBs toidentify a size or a location of the hole.
 13. One or morenon-transitory computer readable media having instructions thereon that,in response to execution by one or more processing devices of a networkmanagement (NM) apparatus, cause the NM apparatus to: receive first datarepresentative of a disconnection of a first user equipment (UE) from anevolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN); receivesecond data representative of a disconnection of a second UE, differentfrom the first UE, from the E-UTRAN; identify a hole in a coverage areaof the E-UTRAN based at least in part on the first and second data; andin response to identification of the hole, initiate area-basedminimization of drive test (MDT) protocols on two or more evolved nodeBs(eNBs) each associated with a cell whose coverage area overlaps with theidentified hole.
 14. The one or more non-transitory computer readablemedia of claim 13, wherein the first data includes a reference signalreceived power (RSRP) value, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ)value, an identifier of a cell to which the first UE was connected priorto the disconnection of the first UE from the E-UTRAN, locationinformation, or a time stamp representative of a time of disconnection.15. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 13,further having instructions there on that, in response to execution bythe one or more processing devices of the NM apparatus, cause the NMapparatus to cause the adjustment of one or more cells of the E-UTRAN toprovide additional service to the hole.
 16. The one or morenon-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein adjust oneor more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional service to the holeincludes reshape one or more cells by adjusting one or morecorresponding antennas.
 17. The one or more non-transitory computerreadable media of claim 15, wherein adjust one or more cells of theE-UTRAN to provide additional service to the hole includes make one ormore cells larger to cover at least a portion of the hole.
 18. The oneor more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 13, furtherhaving instructions thereon that, in response to execution by the one ormore processing devices of the NM apparatus, cause the NM apparatus to:identify a size or a location of the hole based at least in part on datagenerated by the MDT protocols.
 19. The one or more non-transitorycomputer readable media of claim 13, wherein the first data is a firstradio link failure (RLF) report.
 20. One or more non-transitory computerreadable media having instructions thereon that, in response toexecution by one or more processing devices of an evolved nodeB (eNB) ofan evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), causethe eNB to: receive, from a user equipment (UE) located within a nominalcoverage cell of the eNB, a radio link failure (RLF) report includinginformation related to a previous disconnection of the UE from theE-UTRAN; transmit data representative of the RLF report to a coverageand capacity optimization (CCO) component of a network management (NM)apparatus of the E-UTRAN for use in identifying a hole in a coveragearea of the E-UTRAN; and after the transmission of data representativeof the RLF report to the CCO component of the NM apparatus of theE-UTRAN, receive an area-based minimization of drive test (MDT) queryfrom the NM apparatus, wherein the NM apparatus issues the query inresponse to the data representative of the RLF report.
 21. The one ormore non-transitory computer readable media of claim 20, whereintransmit data representative of the RLF report to the CCO componentincludes transmit data representative of the RLF report to the CCOcomponent over an interface-N (Itf-N).
 22. The one or morenon-transitory computer readable media of claim 20, wherein the UEgenerates the RLF report upon the previous disconnection of the UE fromthe E-UTRAN.
 23. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediaof claim 20, wherein the NM apparatus is to receive data generated byMDT protocols from one or more eNBs to identify a size or a location ofthe hole.
 24. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media ofclaim 20, further having instructions thereon that, in response toexecution by the one or more processing devices of the eNB, cause theeNB to: adjust a service parameter of the coverage cell in accordancewith an instruction from the NM apparatus, wherein the NM apparatusissues the instruction in response to data generated by the MDTprotocols.
 25. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media ofclaim 24, wherein adjust the service parameter of the coverage cellserved by the eNB in accordance with the instruction includes reshapethe coverage cell.
 26. The one or more non-transitory computer readablemedia of claim 20, wherein the hole is identified by the NM apparatusbased at least in part on data representative of performance of aservice provided by the E-UTRAN within one or more coverage cells servedby one or more other eNBs.